By choosing to post the reply below you agree to the rules you agreed to when joining Sailnet.
Click Here to view those rules.

Message:

Trackback:

Send Trackbacks to (Separate multiple URLs with spaces) :

Post Icons

You may choose an icon for your message from the following list:

No icon

Register Now

In order to be able to post messages on the SailNet Community forums, you must first register. Please enter your desired user name, your email address and other required details in the form below.Please note: After entering 3 characters a list of Usernames already in use will appear and the list will disappear once a valid Username is entered.

User Name:

Password

Please enter a password for your user account. Note that passwords are case-sensitive.

Password:

Confirm Password:

Email Address

Please enter a valid email address for yourself.

Email Address:

Log-in

User Name

Remember Me?

Password

Human Verification

In order to verify that you are a human and not a spam bot, please enter the answer into the following box below based on the instructions contained in the graphic.

Click here to view the posting rules you are bound to when clicking the'Submit Reply' button below

Additional Options

Miscellaneous Options

Automatically parse links in text

Automatically embed media (requires automatic parsing of links in text to be on).

Automatically retrieve titles from external links

Click here to view the posting rules you are bound to when clicking the'Submit Reply' button below

Topic Review (Newest First)

04-04-2007 11:07 PM

Sailormann

Saltwater is hard on a boat, and a lot of "stainless steel" that is serviceable in fresh water will rust when used on the sea. The only time a saltwater boat is preferable is if you are buying a wooden hull (that has not been further south than Maryland). The salt water "pickles" the wood and the boats last much longer than they do in fresh water - however, when you go south the teredo worms will rapidly chew your hull away until you are left clinging to your spars and croaking for help...

04-04-2007 06:55 PM

sailingdog

Sailaway-

You could have a boat in a large lake down south that stayed in the water year round... That really isn't the advantage of freshwater... it is the fact that a freshwater boat isn't exposed to salt...

Most boats in my neck of the woods are saltwater boats, and they're only in the water for six or seven months a year or so.

04-04-2007 06:31 PM

sailaway21

Probably the principkle advantage of a fresh water boat is that, in most areas, it is in the water for less than six months per year. If you are in a northern clime and lose the ability/desire to sail, you haul your boat out and store it, as leaving it afloat is not an option. If you are in the same situation in salt water, it is possible to leave the boat in the water, and the degradation of components continues apace. The humidity and alkalinity of a salt water environment play havoc with many parts of the boat, seen and unseen.

04-04-2007 05:52 PM

sailingdog

Also, make sure if you move a boat from freshwater to salt water that you upgrade all the zincs. The ones used in freshwater won't last much more than a month in salt water...

04-04-2007 12:26 PM

T34C

Quote:

Originally Posted by Valiente

Be prepared to deal with the fact that if you bring a boat that has been in fresh all its working life into a salt water environment, you could have rapid and destructive failures of some gear.

I have the original 34 year old rigging (which I inspect yearly) on my 1973 never seen salt 33 footer, plus a variety of original thruhulls (I replaced the seacocks/ball valves from the original "garden type" gate valves, however). I also have raw water cooling and a 180F thermostat for the Atomic 4. Were I to go into salt, I would have to immediately consider a standing rigging change, because I'm going to do it "just because" in a couple of years for fresh water anyway. I would have to get the brass off the boat in certain areas and pop for bronze or Marelon. I would have to retrofit for FWC on the engine, because 30 year old Atomic 4s don't want yearly acidic flushes. Did I mention I'd need a new thermostat?

Lots to consider here that to my mind wipe out the premium...unless of course you are KEEPING the freshwater Bristol in fresh water. Then it's whatever the market will bear.

You would be amazed at how many really old FG production boats are still in use here on the Great Lakes. Part of that is the absence of salt.

Keep in mind that you may have to make all of those updates anyway just as general maintainence if the boat has been in salt all its life. If the difference comes down to the thermostat, let me know, I send you one.

04-04-2007 12:21 PM

T34C

Salt v. Fresh water... Pick the Fresh water everytime. The salt water environment (not just the water itself) will speed up corosion of EVERYTHING metal on the boat; electronics, engine, plumbing, electrical system, etc....

04-04-2007 12:18 PM

Valiente

Be prepared to deal with the fact that if you bring a boat that has been in fresh all its working life into a salt water environment, you could have rapid and destructive failures of some gear.

I have the original 34 year old rigging (which I inspect yearly) on my 1973 never seen salt 33 footer, plus a variety of original thruhulls (I replaced the seacocks/ball valves from the original "garden type" gate valves, however). I also have raw water cooling and a 180F thermostat for the Atomic 4. Were I to go into salt, I would have to immediately consider a standing rigging change, because I'm going to do it "just because" in a couple of years for fresh water anyway. I would have to get the brass off the boat in certain areas and pop for bronze or Marelon. I would have to retrofit for FWC on the engine, because 30 year old Atomic 4s don't want yearly acidic flushes. Did I mention I'd need a new thermostat?

Lots to consider here that to my mind wipe out the premium...unless of course you are KEEPING the freshwater Bristol in fresh water. Then it's whatever the market will bear.

You would be amazed at how many really old FG production boats are still in use here on the Great Lakes. Part of that is the absence of salt.

04-04-2007 11:38 AM

Cruisingdad

I agree that fresh is better than salt, but the offset $$ wise if not that much as I recall. Contact a surveyor. Something off the top of my mind is like 5-10% difference in purchase price for a boat that has been fresh all of its life.

Maybe CardiacPaul could help on this one.

- CD

04-04-2007 11:27 AM

camaraderie

Ditto...salt bad...water good!

04-04-2007 11:19 AM

Guesser

Fresh water is better. Over the years salt really takes a toll on everything; including items that are difficult, if not impossible to maintain; electronics, navigation lights, plumbing, heating, refrigeration, upholstery etc.

This thread has more than 10 replies.
Click here to review the whole thread.